1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and system used to ensure that a printer which is capable of printing security patterns loses its ability to print these patterns if the printer is disconnected from an approved system and, more particularly, to a method and system including a printer containing an encrypted key and password loaded into its memory, where the stored password must match a password present in a data stream sent from the host software application in order to print a requested print job.
2. Description of the Related Art
Security patterns are used across a diverse marketplace to deter fraud, counterfeiting, and theft. Interpol estimates that worldwide counterfeit goods represent 5 to 7 percent of all world trade or $600 million annually. In most cases, these security patterns come pre-printed on digital print media. The digital print media must be stored in a secure location so that counterfeiters and thieves are not able to obtain the security patterns. If a counterfeiter was able to obtain the media, they would be free to print fraudulent security documents that would be very hard to detect.
There are digital printers that can print these secure patterns on demand on standard media. The advantage of these printers is that the standard media does not have to be secured and guarded against theft. Security patterns can be created on demand. However, the printer must be set up with features/methods that disable the printing of these security patterns if a thief were able to steal the printer.
Description of the Related Art Section Disclaimer: To the extent that specific patents/publications/products are discussed above in this Description of the Related Art Section or elsewhere in this Application, these discussions should not be taken as an admission that the discussed patents/publications/products are prior art for patent law purposes. For example, some or all of the discussed patents/publications/products may not be sufficiently early in time, may not reflect subject matter developed early enough in time and/or may not be sufficiently enabling so as to amount to prior art for patent law purposes. To the extent that specific patents/publications/products are discussed above in this Description of the Related Art Section and/or throughout the application, the descriptions/disclosures of which are all hereby incorporated by reference into this document in their respective entirety(ies).